Portsmouth bar charged in connection with patron's death

PORTSMOUTH - The Page Bar and Restaurant is facing a felony charge after an investigation into an April assault that resulted in a Dover man's death.

Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams and Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen DuBois held a press conference Tuesday to announce the charges.

The one felony complaint alleges that the bar's owners, New Adventure Entertainment LLC, doing business as The Page Bar and Restaurant, negligently allowed beverages to be consumed in an area not approved by the Liquor Commission, namely the dance floor of the Stadium Lounge.

The charge against the bar carries a $100,000 fine but no jail time, as it is against a corporation, not an individual.

Reams said had the bar been following the rules of their liquor license, the assault that resulted in the death of Joshua Krantz, 24, may never have happened.

Police allege that Zachary O'Neill, 24, attacked Krantz from behind on the dance floor around 12:30 a.m. on April 6 and struck him repeatedly in the head. O'Neil alleged that Krantz spilled a drink on him earlier in the night while on the dance floor.

Later that morning, Krantz was found dead in his Dover apartment by his roommates.

O'Neill is facing a felony degree assault charge at this time, because the state medical examiner has not yet ruled Krantz's manner of death as a homicide.

The investigation to date has revealed that Krantz's death was caused by a fractured skull that resulted in bleeding of the brain.

On Tuesday, DuBois said the medical examiner's final report is still pending.

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